Plants and Pollinators
Third-Fifth
Life Science TEKS
Third Grade:
3.9A, 3.9C, 3.10A, 3.10B, 3.10C
Fourth Grade:
4.9A, 4.9B, 4.10A, 4.10B, 4.10C
Fifth Grade:
5.9A, 5.9B, 5.9C, 5.9D, 5.10A, 5.10B,
Life Science Vocabulary
adaptations, anther, carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle, carnivores, characteristics, communities,
consumers, decomposer, ecosystem, environment, filament, food chain, food web,
herbivores, inherited traits, interact, learned behaviors, life cycle, omnivores, organisms,
ovary, ovule, perish, photosynthesis, pistil, pollen, populations, predator, prey, producers,
relationships, sepal, stamen, species, survive, thrive
Pre-Show Activity
Pre-Show Lesson: Dissecting a Flower
Post this question on the board: “Why do some plants have flowers?”
Materials:
This activity is best done in partners. If you do not have enough
materials though, you could do it in groups of 3-4.
Per pair:
3” x 3” black construction paper, magnifying glass, ruler, toothpick,
clear tape, labeled diagram of a flower (check the science text book)
1 flower - alstroemeria (lily) work wellThey are inexpensive and you can get them at the grocery store.
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Procedure:
1. Ask students to turn and talk in their groups about the question on the board.
2. Tell students that they are going to be dissecting flowers today to see if they can find the
answer to that question.
3. Have students create an observation chart in their science notebook. (Appendix A-1)
You may choose to add more flower parts based on the level of your students. Students will use
the diagram and information in their science book to correctly identify and explain the parts of the
flower. If there is not a diagram in their science book, there are many resources on the Internet.
4. Go over any directions, including safety procedures. Pass out materials.
5. Using the tape, students can attach each flower part in the drawing/example box of the table, or
they can draw a picture.
6. Have student tap the anther of one of the stamen on the black construction paper and use the
magnifying glass to observe the pollen.
7. Students will use the toothpick to open up the ovary and observe the ovules.
See Appendix A-2 for teacher information on the parts of a flower and their functions.
8. Debrief: When the students have finished taking apart their flowers and identifying the parts,
have them come to the carpet with their notebooks. Discuss the adaptations for each flower part
listed above. This is also a good time to discuss inherited traits of the plant/flower. Students can
add notes to their chart. Ask again, “What is the purpose of the flower?”
9. Read, The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller.
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Post-Show Enrichment Activities
Activity One: Dissecting Fruit to Learn about Life Cycles
Before doing this lesson, assign students to bring two or more fruits or vegetables from home.
Some inexpensive fruits and vegetables are: grapes, green beans, snow peas, etc. You may
want to bring a few extras. Have students classify each food item as a fruit or vegetable.
Remember that if it has a seed in it, it is considered a fruit. Using plastic knives, have students
dissect the fruit to find the seeds. Be sure to teach students knife safety. Even though it is plastic,
it can cut them. Use your professional judgment; the teacher may need to cut the fruit. If
students are cutting an acidic fruit, they may want to wear safety goggles.
Another option for this lesson would be to just use pictures.
Once students identify the seed, they should draw or tape it into their science notebook and
complete a life cycle drawing for each fruit. Be sure to connect it back to the flower lesson. Every
fruit was once a flower that had to be pollinated. Students may raise a lot of questions from this
activity like:
How did we get seedless fruit?
Where are the seeds in a banana?
Why do we call some fruits vegetables?
You may want to collect these questions and post them for further inquiry.
Activity Two: Adventures of a Seed - How Seeds Travel
Before doing this lesson, assign students to collect seeds from their neighborhoods. Have
students classify the seeds according to how they travel: wind, water, animals (either by sticking to
their fur or being digested and deposited in their waste). Discuss why they put them in each
group. Have students choose a seed and write a story about their life as a seed. The story
should start from their conception in a flower to their germination and growth into a new plant.
Activity Three: Food Webs
1. Teacher will introduce what a food web is. You will want to show a diagram of this. There is
probably a diagram in their science text book. If not, you can find them on the Internet. Be sure
that the arrows show the direction that the energy is going. Students often point them in the
wrong direction. They think that they need to have the predator pointing to its prey - the food that
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they are eating. You may want to find one where the arrows are pointed in the wrong direction
and ask the students what is wrong with the diagram. Be sure to review words like: producer,
consumer, predator, prey, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, decomposers, sunlight (source of
energy), and how pollution, habitat loss, etc. affect the food chain. (Appendix A-3)
2. Take students outside into your schoolyard to observe the life in the bushes, trees or grass
around them. On a clean paper in their research notebook, they can create a food web based on
the life around them. They may also include examples that may live here, but are not currently
visible. The food web should include at least 10 organisms. Be sure to include arrows to show
the flow of energy. Each organism should be drawn neatly with detail. Students can use colored
pencils.
3. Students will complete an observation chart in their notebook. (Appendix A-4)
You may want to let students use their science books to help them with the definitions or you may
need to give them the definitions of these words.
Activity Four: Plant Parts Foldable
1. Students will create a plant parts foldable identifying the four main parts of a plant and their
functions. (See Appendix A-5 for directions.)
Flower - attracts insects and makes seeds
Stem - carries water
Leaf - makes food using sunlight
Root - takes in water
Activity Five: Experimenting with Seeds
Discuss the needs of plants - sunlight, water, air, space (location with appropriate temperature),
and nutrients (found in soil). As a class, choose one variable that you would like to test. Design
an experiment to test this. Lima bean seeds or grass seed works well. Although you are working
as a class, each group should be setting up their own experiment so that you have results from
each group to compare.
Example Problem: How does sunlight affect plant growth?
Hypothesis: Students write/draw predicted results.
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Procedure: Students write/draw the procedure. If you are testing light, each group should have a
plant that gets light and one that doesn’t. To ensure that it is a fair test, make sure that everything
about the plants is the same (amount of soil, water, etc.) except the amount of sunlight.
Students will want to record their results once or twice throughout the week. They can measure
the height of their plant using standard or nonstandard measurements each time. They should be
recording this in a data chart.
After about two or three weeks, you should be ready to end the experiment and draw conclusions.
Collect data from all 6 groups and make a class data chart. Students should graph this either as a
class or in groups according to their level.
Activity Six: Seed Mosaic
Give students a nature picture print off or have them draw one. Have students use seeds to make
a mosaic piece of art. Students can use lima beans, kidney beans, sunflower seeds, bird seed,
etc. to create their artwork.
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Appendix
A-1
Name of Part
Scientific Drawing/Example
Purpose or Function
petal
stem
pollen
ovary
stamen
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A-2
Teacher Information:
The Flower Parts:
Flower part:
Function of the part:
Petal
Petals are used to attract insects into the flower; they are usually colorful,
may have guidelines on them and are scented.
Stigma
Is covered in a sticky substance that the pollen grains will adhere to.
Students can remember “sticky stigma”.
Style
The style raises the stigma so that when an insect enters the flower, it will
easily rub off on the stigma.
This protects the ovule and once fertilization has taken place it will
become the fruit.
Ovary
Ovule
The Ovule is like the egg in animals and once fertilization has taken
place, it will become the seed.
Flower Stem
The stem gives support to the flower and elevates the flower for the
insects.
Sepal
Sepals protect the flower while the flower is developing from a bud.
Filament
The filament holds the anther up near the top of the flower.
Anther
The anthers create the pollen. When insects enter the flower, they
inadvertently rub against the anther. The pollen is deposited on their
bodies and will then be transferred to the stigma of another flower or the
same flower.
Please note:
The stigma, style, ovary, and ovule are known as the pistil or female part of the flower.
The filament and the anther are known as the Stamen or the male parts of the flower.
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A-3
Correct Food Web
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Incorrect Food Web
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A-4
Producers in our Community
Consumers in our Community
Herbivores:
Omnivores:
Carnivores:
Decomposers:
A-5
1. Students will fold a piece of paper in half the long way. They will then fold that in half a second
time so there are four equal parts.
2. Next, unfold the paper, and fold it once the shorter way (hamburger style). Keep it folded- like a
book.
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Folded edge
3. Cut on the dotted lines on the top page only so that the top page is divided into four sections
that open and close along the folded edge.
4. Label and draw a picture of the following plant parts on each flap of the cover.
flower
stem
Folded edge
leaf
root
5. Open the flaps and on the inside page tell or draw what each plant part does. You may also
want to have students draw an edible example of each plant part.
Flower - attracts insects and makes seeds
Stem - carries water
Leaf - makes food using sunlight
Root - takes in water
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